NY Times Part 3: Do Hamburgers Cause Crime?

To complete the trifecta of posts, here's an quick blurb from the NY Times' Freakonomics blog about two journal articles on slaughterhouses. The first article will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy and focuses on the possible psychological impacts to slaughterhouse workers who are exposed to the kill floor. The second article from the American Sociological Association looks at the statistical data linking slaughterhouses and increased crime rates. The study's findings "suggest unique effects of slaughterhouse employment levels on certain types of crime (controlling for several key variables and compared to other types of industry)."

NY Times Part 2: In Vitro Meat?

From the New York Times Dot Earth blog: the first international conference on manufacturing meat took place recently. The process involves growing cell cultures in vats as opposed to raising and slaughtering animals. The conference was held in Norway by the In Vitro Meat Consortium.

Update: After posting, I saw these posts at vegan.com, one of which linked to a more detailed article at Wired.

Willie Nelson teams up with ALDF in standing up for cows

I've always liked Willie Nelson - now I have a reason to like him even more. The Mercury News reports that Willie has joined a campaign by the Animal Legal Defense Fund that protests the treatment dairy cows from a California ranch. In 2006, the ALDF filed suit against the the Mendes Calf Ranch in Tipton asserting that the confinement of calves in crates violates state anti-cruelty laws. Willie is supporting an online petition aimed at getting Land O’Lakes and Challenge Dairy to stop using Mendes facilities to house the calves of their milking cows. The text of a letter by Nelson is available at ALDF's press release about Willie's support. Willie states, in part:

I’ll be 75 years old next month, and I have seen a lot of this country in my many years on the road. It’s a tragedy to see the small-town farmer, who cared deeply for his backyard animals, is rapidly being edged out by huge facilities that look more like factories than farms--and treat animals no better than machines.

That’s why I’ve joined more than 20,000 other concerned Americans in signing the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s petition urging you to please take action to stop the abuse of thousands of baby cows linked to Land O’ Lakes dairy products.

Some of your suppliers use California’s Mendes Calf Ranch to house the calves of their milking cows. These babies are taken from their mothers soon after birth and shipped away to live by themselves for extended periods in cramped, filthy crates--often without enough room to turn around or lie down naturally.

The confinement of calves at Mendes is in violation of California’s animal cruelty laws, and it is not a practice befitting your company. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is filing their appeal in ALDF v. Mendes in the Supreme Court of California this week, and their lawyers will continue to seek justice for these cows in the courtroom. Meanwhile, many thousands of citizens have signed the petition at FreeBabyMendes.com urging you to cut all ties with Mendes Calf Ranch, as well as any other operation engaging in the same practices, unless and until those operations provide humane conditions for their calves.

As a cowboy, I must stand up for cows. Please consider my concerns, and those of the thousands of others who have joined me in signing the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s petition to Free Baby Mendes, and insist that your suppliers end this cruel confinement practice immediately.

Tampa becomes Fifth Florida City to Oppose Battery Cage Eggs

Tampa is the fifth city in Florida, and eleventh city nationwide to pass a resolution opposing the practice of packing egg-laying hens into battery cages. According to the Humane Society of the United State's press release, the resolution states that the Tampa City Council "opposes battery cage egg production, based on the inherent cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in battery cages," and further "encourages consumers of eggs not to purchase eggs produced by caged hens." Tampa joins the cities of Hollywood, West Palm Beach, Winter Springs, and New Port Richey in passing such a resolution.

Stronger laws for slaughterhouses proposed

An article from MSNBC describes a bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein that would strengthen penalties for meat packing plants that send sick animals to slaughter. The proposed legislation would fine a plant based on a percentage of its sales after the first violation and suspend USDA inspection for one year after the second violation, which would effectively shut the plant down because the inspections are required. On the third violation the plant would be shut down.

Consumer food labeling suits reinstated

How Appealing, the definitive blog on all appellate matters, has a link-filled post here on the recent decision by the California Supreme Court to reinstate lawsuits regarding the chemically induced coloring of salmon raised on fish farms. A copy of the decision is available at this link (pdf).

Many schools in Florida stop serving beef

A number of Florida schools have stopped serving beef with school lunches. Stories are available from the Sun-Sentinel, the St. Pete Times, the Tampa Tribune, and the Orlando Sentinel. The cessation follows the the Humane Society of the United States' release of a video that captured some shockingly cruel treatment of downer cows at a California slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse in question is a major supplier to school lunch programs around the country. Since the video release, a number of major news outlets have reported on the story, including the Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the L.A. Times. Yesterday, the USDA closed the plant, which is an available administrative action in cases where the Food Safety and Inspection Service finds "egregious violations of humane handling regulations."

Orlando Weekly on "Foie Gras Flap"

In 2006, Chicago banned the sale of foie gras based on animal welfare concerns, as reported here by the Humane Society of the United States. The Orlando Weekly published a story late last month on the sale of foie gras by certain restaurants in Orlando. The story notes that chefs from restaurants selling it are "united" and point to other factory farm practices as being equally cruel. Those comments prompted this response from a spokesperson from the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida:

Nick Atwood, campaigns coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, dismisses such notions, charging those who profit from animal abuse are quick to point the finger elsewhere. “The fact that animals are suffering worse somewhere else doesn’t make it OK for you to abuse an animal. If chefs who serve foie gras believe chickens suffer abusive treatment, I would encourage them to experiment with egg- and chicken-free dishes.”
He adds, “I agree that the suffering of chickens in egg farms is a bigger problem, both in terms of numbers and severity of abuse. But the campaign against foie gras is unique in that foie gras is an expensive appetizer, a luxury item. You’ll never hear someone say they use foie gras to feed their family. The culinary adventures of wealthy foodies cannot justify the suffering of thousands of ducks and geese each year.”

For those looking for a foie gras-free dining experience, Orlando's first vegan restaurant, Ethos Vegan Kitchen, is now an option.